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Hayden Glass never had it easy. After losing his father at a young age, he fought hard for everything he got, haunted by a shame that he could never define or conquer. Now a Los Angeles Police Robbery and Homicide detective, Glass is still haunted by the scars that formed in his childhood and left a permanent void in his soul. He deals with it in a very defeating way . . . . he strolls Sunset Boulevard, picking up prostitutes. Hayden Glass is a sex addict.

Called to investigate a heinous crime scene involving the daughter of prominent LA politician, Glass is quickly overwhelmed by the spotlight. When new murders arise, Glass sees a link where no one else does--this is the work of a vicious, sadistic sexual predator. Forced to use the support rooms that keep him from acting out as an investigative tool, Glass finds himself alienated by everyone he needs: his ex-wife, his sponsor, even his fellow detectives. Glass must call on the services of ex-FBI profiler, turned private investigator Kennedy Reynard, who is as tempting as she is helpful. But the tide turns quickly when Glass discovers that his quarry has his sights set on an ultimate target---Glass himself.

Review

“Like James Ellroy, Hollywood film developer Schwartz can make the reader squirm, as shown in his debut…Schwartz does a fine job of blurring the lines between sexuality and violence, the criminal world and the police world”—Publishers Weekly

“[Schwartz] artfully builds tension and suspense into horror and finishes with a stunning Grand Guignol climax. Expect much more from this talented writer.”—Booklist

“Boulevard is raw, twisted, and so hard-boiled it simmers from beginning to end.”--Robert Crais, New York Times bestselling author of the Elvis Cole novels

“Relentless and unflinching, a shocking thriller that dares you to keep reading. Schwartz has created one of the most complex and tortured protagonists I've encountered in a long time. A powerful debut.”--Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author of The Keepsake

“A terrific police thriller. It’s fast-paced and convincingly told. The streets of L.A. have never been meaner or seamier. Schwartz is gifted with clear vision and a knowing heart and a way with words. Wonderful.” --T. Jefferson Parker, New York Times bestselling author of The Renegades

Stephen Jay Schwartz has made a stunning debut with this drag race of a mystery through the noir side of L.A. Among the many achievements of this book is the introduction of a truly original protagonist, a rare feat in a crime novel. Cops are a dime a dozen, but Hayden Glass is the first one I've ever heard of who's battling sex addiction. This character flaw and inner conflict is such a perfect metaphor on so many levels for the enticements of the city and lifestyles this book so insightfully captures, that I'm amazed no one has thought of this before. And Schwartz has taken full advantage of the subconscious underpinnings of Glass's addiction. A terrific read all around.

I will keep my review short. Many true crime books remind me of the sets of old Westerns. The characters are all facade, pretense, thinly depicted, put in boxes by other names, a mirage propped up by 2 x 4 writers who put plot before psychology. Stephen Jay Schwartz's anti-hero and cast could not be better x-rayed as his troubled (to put it mildly) protoganist presides over a civil war inside himself even as he deals with the case of his career. Is he a degenerate addict never able to be cured, never able to put the badge truly ahead of his jonesing for the flesh, or a redeemed person who just sometimes fall off the wagon (and into hot laps)?. Let's say it makes for riveting drama, sharp prose reminiscent of Pete Dexter, let alone a kinda of travelogue of seamy, desperate L.A. run on a brutal sex economy. The ending of the book was a gruesome thrill, not everyone getting out alive, or at least as they went in, with a feel of 'Silence of the Lambs.' Why read about Hayden Glass, a man who sheens his childhood pain with intense, oft-hollow physical union with strangers? Because he's sensationally human, fully fleshed out and motivated to stop a monster, though he's already got enough of them inside himself. Could not recommend a better thriller written with superlative prose and risky narratives if I tried. (Quick note: SJS is a friend, but I would've endorsed this story if an iguana with bad gums had typed it up._ If you want a story that rises above phoniness, that educates us about all our organic vulnerabilities as humans, you won't be disappointed here. The talent will convince you.

The setting is the same: LAPD, Parker Center, Robbery & Homicide Div, Sunset Blvd, etc; the leading character is similar: a beleaguered, solitary, iconoclast, edgy detective Hayden Glass. But this book falls well short of the smooth, intricate, compelling books by Michael Connelly and his intriguing leading character Detective Harry Bosch.

In this version, a string of grisly murders with seemingly no purpose other than to provoke Glass is simply way over the top. And of all things, it turns out that Hayden is a sex addict, which apparently connects him to the serial killings. Despite his affliction, Hayden is not a sympathetic character; he constantly takes the ridiculous route. A couple of interesting females, one a medical examiner, the other an ex-FBI profiler, have the potential to provide balance, but the author dead-ends with them, committed to his macabre course. The pace of the book is fast, but not fast enough. It is the sort of book that cannot end soon enough.

I'm late to the party, but what a twisted, kinky party it is. Stephen Jay Schwartz pulls back the curtain on the Hollywood sex trade and gives us a glimpse of what it's like to live with a sex addiction. The writing is tight, the action is fast-paced and the story keeps you turning the pages. Can't wait to read the second book.

The comparisons to my favorite writer, Michael Connally, are not hyperbole. A strong debut but DEFINITELY not for the faint of heart. A protagonist as tightly wound as Harry Bosch and James Ellroy's anti-heros, dark secrets and and the meanest of streets.Be forewarned, BOULEVARD has what may be the most gruesome murder scene in any noir I've read.Can't wait to get started on the follow-up BEAT.